실프라 드라이수트 스노클링 투어

Thingvellir  is one of the most important sites to visit in Iceland for its landscape, history and cultural value.

The Icelandic parliament was founded in Thingvellir in 930 and remained there for centuries.Thingvellir is surrounded by a beautiful mountain range and is the site of a rift valley, marking the crest of the Mid-Atlantic range. Today it is a natural park, listed as a World Heritage Site by UNESCO and considered a vital part of the ‘Golden triangle’ (with Geysir and Gullfoss). Of particular note is the magnificent gorge Almannagja, which marks the eastern boundary of the north American plate and into which the beautiful waterfall Oxararfoss falls.

Other notable attractions within the park include the beautiful lake Thingvallavatn, the largest lake in Iceland, the Silfra fissure, one of the world's top dives, and Gjabakkahellir, one of Iceland's most interesting lava tubes. 

Silfra Fissure, situated in Þingvellir National Park in southwest Iceland, is one of the country's most visited and cherished natural wonders.

Geography 

Roughly an hour’s drive from Reykjavik city centre, Silfra is a highly popular destination for snorkelers and scuba divers, with the fissure itself often ranking amongst the top ten dive sites internationally. The water is 2-4 degrees celsius all year round and offers visitors the opportunity to touch both the American and Eurasian tectonic plates simultaneously, an extremely rare feeling in itself. 

Silfra is just one of thousands of fissures made up as part of a largely unmapped cave network underneath Thingvellir. The reasons for Silfra’s adulation particularly are, upon seeing it, self-explanatory. Firstly, there is the incredible water clarity. Visibility will often stretch beyond 100m, meaning the entire fissure, canyon walls and all, is in full and perfect view.

The incredible colour spectrums that this creates defies imagination. The water is so clear, for instance, that it refracts light in the same manner as a diamond, meaning, on bright days, that Silfra’s bottom is illuminated with rainbow patterns. 

Þingvellir makes up part of the Mid-Atlantic rift valley, an area of fairly young magma fields (geologically speaking) that, continentally, does not exist. Water trickles down from the mighty Langjökull glacier, around 60km from Silfra, entering the cave network and taking up to a century to reach the fissure. This fascinating process began over 12,000 years ago.

Silfra also has a gentle current. This flow means that any sediment or floating particles kicked up by will quickly be pulled away, ensuring excellent visibility within minutes.

Þingvallavatn (anglicised as Thingvallavatn, “Lake of the Parliament”) is a rift valley lake located roughly forty minutes drive from Iceland’s capital city, Reykjavik.

Features of Þingvallavatn.

Þingvallavatn is partially within the boundaries of Þingvellir National Park, Iceland’s largest national park and only one with UNESCO World Heritage Site status. Covering an area of 84 km², Þingvallavatn is the largest natural lake in Iceland with its greatest depth measuring at 114 m. Þingvallavatn is situated on the Mid-Atlantic Rift, on a part of the ridge known as the Reykjanes Ridge. The lake has only one outflow, the river Sog.

Of particular note to biologists and fishermen are the four morphs of Arctic Char that inhabit the lake. The lake’s char are an excellent example of species evolving to fit and adapt to a secluded environment; over ten thousand years, one species of Char has transformed into four different-sub branches. Other fish in the lake include the the Brown Trout and the Three-Spine Stickleback.

History and Geology

Þingvallavatn takes its name from the historical founding of the Althingi, which occurred in 930 AD at what is now known as Þingvellir National Park. Þingvellir literally translates to “Fields of Parliament.” The Althingi was the first democratically elected parliament in world history; Icelanders used to travel by foot or horseback simply to congregate at Þingvellir where they would hear the latest laws and judgements of the island.

Þingvellir National Park is also notable for its geology. Given its position on the Mid Atlantic Ridge, the park is one of the only places on the planet where visitors can see both the North American and Eurasian tectonic plates standing exposed from the earth. Footpaths allow you to get up close and personal to the plates, standing right where the ancient settlers once did. In between the tectonic plates lies fields of dried volcanic rock, blanketed with a thick, yet fragile layer of Icelandic moss. 

Scuba Diving at Silfra / David's Crack 

Scuba diving around Þingvallavatn revolves around two sites, Silfra Fissure and David’s Crack, the former being one of the most popular spots on the planet for snorkelling and underwater exploration. Silfra Fissure is situated between the North American and Eurasian tectonic plates and is filled with crystal-clear glacial water originating from the Langjokull ice cap. The water measures at between 2-3 degrees Celsius all year round, a slight current preventing the fissure from ever freezing over.

David’s Crack is found within Þingvallavatn and is often considered the darker and more dramatic cousin of Silfra Fissure, resembling the gorge formation so prevalent across the Mid Atlantic Rift. Only certain tour operators provide David’s Crack, so make sure to do some research beforehand if you are looking to access this dive site during your time in Iceland.

Header Photo: Wikimedia. Creative Commons. Credit: Axel Kristinsson.